Vehicle controlling apparatus.



T. BODDE. VEHICLE CONTROLLING APPARATUS. APPLICATION FILED AUG.22, 190B.

Patented Apr. 28, 1914.

ATTORNEY.

THEODORE BODDE, OF BRANT ROCK, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOB OF ONE-HALF TOARCHIE G. SHAVER, OF D'ANVILLE, ILLINOIS.

VEHICLE CONTROLLING APPARATUS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Apr. 28, 1914.

Application filed August 22, 1908. Serial 110,449,882.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, THEODORE Boone, a subject of the Queen of theNetherlands, residing in Brant Rock, "in the county of Plymouth, in theState of Massachusetts, have invented a certain new and usefulImprovement in Vehicle Controlling Apparatus, of which the following isa true an exact description, reference being bad to the accompanyingdrawings, which orm a part thereof.

My present invention relates to apparatus of the general ty e disclosedin my Patent 888,416 granted L iay 19th,-1908, in which a menu provied-with a device controlling the movement of the vehicle, which isactuated under certain special or all conditions, when a magnetic bodycarried by the vehicle, and which I call a train magnet, passes by astationary magnet device, which I call a track magnet, the actuation ofthe controllin' device being dependent upon the magnetic interactionbetween the train and track magnets.

The object of the present invention is to provide effective and reliablemechanism of the kind referred to, so constructed and arrangedthat thecontrolling device will be actuated in a ositive and powerful mannerwhenever such actuation is proper, notwithstanding the substantial airgap, which. in

practice, it is necessary, or at least desirable to provide, between thetram and track magnets.

In the employ an vice, and in conjunction therewith, an energizingcircuit or circuits including the electro-magnetic device, a source ofenergizin current therefor and an electric arc, and so form the circuitarangements that I may utilize those properties of an electric arcwhereby a relatively small diminution of the voltage impressed u on theterminals of the are results in a relittively large decrease in the arccurrent and a relatively small decrease in the arc current results in arelatively lar e increase in the resistance of the arc and t e cathodefrom which the arc is drawn, to create a substantial diminution of thecurrent flowing through the electromagnetic controlling device, magnetpasses over the track magnet and the preferred form of the invention. I

vehicle, such as a railway car, is

electro-magnetic controlling de-- when the train i which it responds tochanged latter isin the condition for actuating the controlling device.

Of the drawings: Figure 1 is a diagrammatic plan view illustrating thearrangement of a portion of a railway system equipped wit m invention.Fig. 2 is a diagrammatic end e evation of a ortion of the apparatusshown in Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a view similar to Fig. 2 but showing amodified arrangement. Fig. 4 is a diagram illustrating a third form ofthe invention. Fi 5 is a dia ram illustrating another modification in wich a mercury rectifier is employed, and Fig. 6 is a diagramillustrating a slight modification of the arrangement shown in Fig. 5.

n the drawings, and the apparatus shown in Figs. 1 and 2, A representsthe track rails, B the track magnet and C the train magnet carried by acar or other vehicle running on the rails -A. The train magnet C haspoles C C spaced apart and adapted to pass in proximity to the poles Band B respectively of the track magnet. The train magnet C is alsoformed with poles (J and 0 adapted to form the field oles of a current'nerator or dynamo, of w ich the armature turns between the poles C andC. The brushes E bearing on the commutator E supply current to theterminals of the electro-magnetic controlling device G, and in the formshown, also supply current to the terminals of a ma etizing coil Fsurrounding the yoke of magnet C. though coil F may be separatelyexcited if desired, or indeed may be dispensed with if ma et C, orpreferably only the yoke portion 5 thereof, is permanently magnetized.Inseries with the brushes E and device G is means for maintaining anelectric are such as the arc lamp H having a mercury cathode H and ananode H inclosed in an exhausted container. The armature E iscontinuously rotated by an electric motor I.

In practice, I prefer to employ an arc of the well known mercury vaportype, in which the terminals of the are are inclosed in an exhaustedcontainer and in which the cathode at least is formed by a body ofmercury. The use of the electric arc in the relation specified isparticularly advantageous on account of the quickness With conditions,

since it comprises no moving parts and is practically without anyinertia eflect. Where the source of current for actuatingthe'electro-magnetic controlling device supplies alternating current, Iprefer to arrange the arc, especially if it is a mercury vapor arc, soas to utilize its capacity as a rectifier, and in this case I prefer topass the rectified current through the electro-malgnetic controllingdevice, thus obtaining t e advantage of the use of an alternatingcurrent supply with a direct current electromagnetic controlling device,instead of with a more complicated and less satisfactory alternatingcurrent electro-inagnetic device.

My invention also comprises certain improvements in the train magnet andthe means which I may employ for generating the current for energizingthe controlling device. The last mentioned improvements may or may notbe used in conjunction with an electric arc as described, though Iprefer to use the latter in all cases.

Tlhe various features ,of novelty which characterize my invention arepointed out with particularity in the claims annexed to and forming apart of this specification. For a better understanding of the invention,however, and the advantages possessed by it, reference should be had tothe accompanying drawings and descriptive matter in which I haveillustrated and described several of the numerous forms in which myinvcntion may be embodied.

The armature (i of device G operates a valve or switch G and a pivotedsignal arm G. lVhen, as in the normal condition of the apparatus, deviceG is energized, the arma ture (i -is held up in the 0-ahead position bymagnetic attraction against the action of the spring G which tends topull the armature G into the stop position.

The poles B B of the track magnet B are surrounded by magnetizing coilsJ and J respectively. the energization of which may be controlledmanually or automatically as by switch blade S, which, when at clear,closes a circuit including coils J and J and battery K, and when atdanger, interrupts this circuit. \Vhen the train magnet passes over thetrack magnet, the magnetic flux normally passing through the armature Ebetween poles C and C is shunted or not by the track magnet accordingly,as the windings J and J are or are not deenergized. When these coils aredeenergized, the diminution in the magnetic flux passing through thearmature E, caused by the magnetic shunt about poles C and C andarmature E formed by track magnet B, results in a decrease in currentflow passing through device G with a consequent downward movement ofarmature G thus stopping the car through the switch or valve,

G or indicating through Signal arm G that l the car should be stopped.If, however, coils J and J are energized when the train magnet is movedover the track magnet, the latter does action of the magnet C onarmature E, since the parts are so arranged that poles B and B are thenof the same polarity as the poles C and C respectively.

The use of an electric are maintaining de- "ice such as the mercuryvapor arc lamp H in series with the device G adds greatly to theeffectiveness of the apparatus on account of those inherent propertiesof an electric arc whereby a relatively small decrease in the voltageimpressed on the terminals of the are greatly decreases the current flowthrough the arc and a relatively small decrease in the arc currentproduces a relatively great increase in the resistance of the arc andits cathode. 'In consequence of this characteristic, the provision of anarc in series with the device G and its source of energizing currentgreatly magnifies the effect on the former of a decrease in theelectro-motive force impressed on the terminals of the circuit portion,including the device G and the arc, and the parts may well be soarranged that the arc will collapse or break when the train magnetpasses over the energizing track magnet. Moreover, this magnifyingeffect is practically instantaneous, since the arc has no moving partsand offers nothing like an inertia effect interfering with a decrease inthe current through it.

\Vhile I prefer to employ an for instance in Figs. 1 and arrangement ofthe magnet C E shown, may sometimes vantage without the are, as shownfor instance in Fig. 3, where the arrangement differs from that of Figs.1 and 2 in the omission of the arc and also in the fact, though this isnot necessarily the case, that the coil F is in series with the device Gand the core yoke C is surrounded by a short circuited winding as acopper cylinder L to hold practically constant the magnetic flux passingthrough the '0l{6 C". No claim is made broadly herein, however, to theuse of a rotating armature in connection with a train magnet to increasethe effect of a change in the magnetization of the magnet, as thatcombination is described and claimed in my prior copending applicationSerial Number 415,887, filed February 14th, 1908. An are such as are Hmay also be used with advantage in many cases with a simple trainmagnet, such as the magnet C of Fig. 4. In this form of my invention,the coil F surrounding the yoke of the magnet C is connected in serieswith the device G and a source of direct current P. In this case thewinding for the track magnet B indicated or open or closed on itself byare, as shown 2, the special and armature be used with adat J is euthnot diminish the magnetizing .for a mercury vapor switch blade S orother controlling device, and need not include a source of current likethe battery K of Fig. 1, since the difference between the inductiveefiects on the coil F produced by the track magnet when the windin J 8is open and when it is closed may be ma e sufiicient to actuate thedevice G or not accordingly as the coil J 3 is open or closed. Theaction is more positive, however, .if a source of direct current isprovided in circuit with the magnetizing winding for the track magnet asin the arrangement of Fig. 1.

The advantage of using an electric arc and particularly of using amercury vapor arc lamp may be had where the source of current for thearc and the controlling device G supplies alternating current as well aswhen such source supplies direct current, though with an alternatingcurrent supply arc lamp, certain well ations in the circuit connectionsfor the lamp must be made. This is because the current flow through amercury arc is essentially unidirectional at ordinary voltages. Wherethe source of current for the arc and controlling device G furnishesalternating current, I prefer to use a mercury arc rectifier and in Fig.5, I have shown one of the many arrangements which I may use. In Fig. 5,the track magnet and the train magnet are arranged as in Fig. 4. Hrepresents the mercury arc rectifier which differs from the lamp H inthe fact that there are two anodes H which are connected by conductorsto opposite sides of the source N supplying alternating current. Thecathode H of the rectifier is connected to the middle point 0 of aninductive winding 0, the terminals 0 the points 0 to the conductors. Thedevice G is preferably connected in between the cathode H and the oint Oof the winding 0. The coil F o the train magnet C may be connectedbetween either anode H and the point 0 of the conductor 1 leading fromthe anode or between either connected pair of points 0 and O orpreferably as shown in Fig. 5 between one of the points known modi andthe winding on the latter is open.

0 and the adjacent side of the current source 'N. In Fig. 6 I have shownthe coil F as connected bet-ween the right hand anode H and thecorresponding point 0 of the conductor P With the arrangement shown, thedevice G is traversed by direct current, thus obviating any necessityfor an alternating current electro-magnetic controlling device. As thecoil F is traversed b alternating current, a great increase in the selfinduction of the coil occurs when the train magnet passes over the trackma het is change in the self induction of the coil F may well bearranged to cause the arc in the rectifier H to break. If the winding onthe track magnet is closed on itself when the train magnet passes overthe track magnet, little change in the self induction of coil F andconsequent disturbance in the current fiow through device G' will takeplace.

Having now I claim as new and desire to secure ters Patent is 1. Incombination, a railway car, an electromagnetic controlling device and adynamo located on the car, said dynamo comprising a rotating armatureand a norma what described my invention,

Let-

lly excited field magnet for supplying current for actuating saidcontrolling device, and a stationary magnetic body adapted to form withsaid field magnet a magnetic shunt about the armature of the dynamo.

2. In combination, a railway car, an electromagnetic controlling deviceand a dynamo located on the car, said dynamo comprising a rotatingarmature and a normally excited field magnet for supplying current ofwhich are connected at for actuating said controlling device, astationary magnetic body adapted to form with said field magnet amagnetic shunt about the armature of the dynamo, and means for renderingsaid magnetic body ineffective as a magnetic shunt.

THEODORE BODDE.

Witnesses:

THOMAS B. BLAOKMAN, THOMAS GLOVER.

